Rangpur city goes to its second polls Thursday

Rangpur City Corporation is set to go to its second election on Thursday amid four-tier security measure and festivity.

The voting will begin at 8am and continue till 4pm with any break at 193 polling stations.

A total of 3,93,994 voters are expected to exercise their voting right to elect a mayor, 33 ward councillors and 11 councillors to the reserved seats of women in the election.

There are 1,96,356 men and 1,97,638 women voters in the city.

Seven candidates are there in the election race for the mayoral post.

There are 211 candidates for ward councillors and 65 women candidates for reserved councillors.

Law enforcers have identified 128 polling stations as vulnerable, or at risk of seeing violence.

Locals said that in the mayoral race there will be a triangular fight among Sarfuddin Ahmed of Awami League, Md Mostafizur Rahman of Jatiya Party and Kawsar Jahan Babla of BNP.

In 2012, pro-Awami League Sarfuddin Ahmed (Jhantu) was elected mayor defeating his nearest rival Mostafizur Rahman.

A security team, numbering 22-25, will guard every polling station and total 5,500 security personnel are ready to hold the election.

Alongside over 5,500 law enforcers, 11 judicial magistrates and 33 executive magistrates will be in the election area to check any possible breaching of the election code of conduct and election violence.

The election is going to be held with the polls symbols of political parties unlike its maiden election held on December 20, 2012.

Meanwhile, Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda on Wednesday hoped that the election will be held in a credible manner.

The CEC also claimed that the situation is fully under control of the Election Commission.

KM Nurul Huda was addressing a press conference at the city's Nirbachan Bhaban.

Nurul Huda said closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras will be installed in three polling stations to monitor the election uninterruptedly.

The Commission has sent its own observer team, numbering 22 officials, to monitor the polls, he added.

According to UNB, the EC announced the election schedule for the city corporation On November 5 last.

Under the current Election Commission headed by KM Nurul Huda, this election is the second major polls after Comilla City Corporation election held in March last.

Just a day ahead of the election, the EC could not confirm whether new Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) instead of ballot paper will be used in a particular polling station -- the Begum Rokeya Government College at ward 25-- as per its plan.